N.J.’s ‘safe passing’ law to protect bikers, pedestrians faces education challenge

Summer time is when folks take to the streets on bikes, skateboards, scooters and on foot. However educating them and drivers on a just lately enacted New Jersey regulation about find out how to cross them safely has gotten off to a sluggish begin.

The state Division of Freeway Visitors Security awarded a $78,342 grant to a biking and pedestrian advocacy group to create the Protected Passing 4 NJ useful resource web site and training program, which launched in Could. However the division’s personal web site didn’t point out that web site or hyperlink to it till final week.

“It’s one factor to develop supplies in regards to the regulation and find out how to unfold the phrase,” stated Steve Carrellas, Nationwide Motorists Affiliation state coverage director. “It’s one other factor for the message to get on the market to everybody, particularly motorists.”

The brand new regulation was handed in August 2021 and took impact in March, requiring drivers to depart 4 ft between autos and folks sharing the highway on bicycles or on foot.

The regulation is taken into account vital to guard “weak customers” particularly in suburban and rural locations that don’t have sidewalks. In these circumstances, non-drivers have to make use of freeway shoulders or the highway itself.

The brand new regulation requires drivers “observe all present no-passing, no rushing legal guidelines and to maneuver over a lane, if a lane is out there.” If enough passing area isn’t accessible, drivers should sluggish to 25 mph and be ready to cease, till they’ll cross safely “with out endanger these sharing the highway.”

Violating these tips will end in a driver receiving a positive of $500 and two motorized vehicle factors, if bodily hurt is induced. If no damage happens, the positive is $100.

“In March, the Division of Freeway Visitors Security and the Division of Transportation launched a coordinated social media marketing campaign to assist unfold the phrase about New Jersey’s new Protected Passing Regulation,” stated Lisa Coryell, a division spokeswoman. “The Division of Freeway Visitors Security has awarded the New Jersey Bike & Stroll Coalition $78,342 in grant funding to hold out a Protected Passage Regulation public consciousness and training marketing campaign.”

Comply with up questions on why training in regards to the new regulation wasn’t highlighted on the division homepage or linked to the coalitions useful resource web site weren’t answered.

“It will be good to have a hyperlink to the useful resource heart,” Carrellas stated of the freeway security division’s web site.

The web site launched in late Could on schedule. The one public announcement got here from the NJ Bike Stroll Coalition, point out on the North Jersey Transportation Authority’s Avenue Sensible security web site and a tweet asserting it. Sponsored adverts on social media platforms akin to Fb by the coalition adopted in June.

The Bike and Stroll Coalition is working by itself marketing campaign with different companies and teams to vary that. These taking part embody the Chiefs of Police Affiliation to the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority’s “Avenue Sensible security program, AAA and NJ Transit, stated Debra Kagan, Coalition president

“All these companions and others are using their networks and applications to amplify the messaging in regards to the new regulation,” she stated. “The digital media advert marketing campaign will run on Google and Fb platforms alongside facet our social media marketing campaign and social media toolkit accessible to all on from our Protected Passing Regulation Useful resource Middle.”

Sponsored Fb adverts by the Coalition began showing in mid-June. Different materials has appeared on TikToc, together with encouraging customers to make Protected Passing regulation movies.

Final 12 months, the state pedestrian loss of life toll rose to 218, up from 179 in 2020 and 27 bike owner died in collisions in 2021, up from 18 the 12 months earlier than, in line with State Police statistics. The protected passing regulation was supposed to assist cut back these numbers.

However New Jersey’s regulation could be exhausting to know and might battle with different legal guidelines about crossing a strong or double line to cross, Carrellas stated. The NMA had lobbied for a protected passing regulation it believed was simpler to know. Supporters of the regulation cited shut calls and collisions with vehicles as a cause to incorporate a selected distance.

“Fairly than the multi-step conditional actions dictated within the new regulation, a regulation to soundly cross bikes and pedestrians should give attention to detection of the highway person and a easy selection of motion to decelerate behind the rider or safely cross the rider,” Carrellas stated. “That’s why we advocated for having the ability to cross in a no passing zone when protected to take action.”

Carrelllas gave the coalition web site an honest overview for attempting to elucidate the regulation, however stated it was a posh regulation to elucidate.

“Getting a change in apply requires a greater regulation to base a marketing campaign on,” he stated.

The Mind Damage Alliance of N.J. has Protected Passing regulation info on its web site JerseyDrives.com. The alliance has unfold consciousness by means of a weekly social media marketing campaign with the NJ Pedestrian and Bike Security Coalition, Kagan stated.

Tri-State Transportation Marketing campaign and New Jersey Transit partnered on bus advert wraps in regards to the regulation with help from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Fee’s Transportation Choices Program grant, Kagan stated.

AAA is at the moment operating a Sluggish Down, Transfer Over marketing campaign with billboards and movies in relaxation stops that can embody the protected passing regulation, Kagan stated.

The Bike and Pedestrian Useful resource Middle at Rutgers College Voorhees Transportation Middle has assets on the Protected Passing Regulation on its web site.

And the New Jersey Affiliation of Chiefs of Police has “unfold the phrase” and a variety of native police departments have put protected passing regulation info on their web sites and on variable messaging indicators, she stated.

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Larry Higgs could also be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.